Need Help With Cat Meowing At Night

[mozzicat]

Hello!
I adopted my 2 year old boy in February, he used to be a street cat and isn’t affectionate at all. Up until a month ago he didn’t even meow, ever.
This changed when he suddenly began sitting in front of the front door at like 3 am, meowing like crazy. I live in a single room apartment, so I hear everything...
First I thought it was him wanting food, but he continues meowing even after I give him food / fresh water.
He only stops when he notices I’m paying attention to him - as soon as I wake up he stops and goes to sleep.
I do play with him before I go to bed, but I just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m starting my new semester today and need a few hours of continuous sleep, which as of now I can’t get.

Please help me, what can I do to stop him from doing this literally every single night? He starts at 3 am, stops for a while and then resumes at like 5 and then again at 8-9.
His meows are short, almost sounds like he’s asking someone a question. I’m fed up with this and I need my sleep.

Thank you.

 

[rubysmama]

Maybe something in this TCS article might be helpful: How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan)

 

[MissClouseau]

If I were to guess he either wants to go out and/or something outside got his attention, like a noise, and he's alerting you. Some cats have "guard dog" tendencies like that too :-)

It's also possible he's not getting enough stimulation. Especially if he's indoor-only. Try to play for at least an hour with a different toy every day, hunting kind of games. Making him chase a string (that he can't swallow!) could be just fine. I throw Hima's mouse toy from a distance to different places. Lots of jumping and running around that way.

Also consider using ear plugs.

My own cat Hima definitely stays awake until later than her usual and is more energetic in the summer. If your boy is like her this situation will fade slowly as the weather gets cooler.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Is your boy neutered?

 

[cheeser]

We used to have that problem with one of our cats. In Oscar's case, it turned out that he had suddenly decided that he needed to watch TV in the middle of the night to keep him occupied while we slept. Now whenever he starts meowing, I turn on the TV and set the timer for it to play for about an hour, and go back to sleep!

 

[JTBanana]

I second the TV or any noise stimuli. My baby Jewel when she was around your little guys age -same deal. I opted for soft piano music in the background and free feeding. The Piano Music carried her through her entire 18 years of life. Whenever stressed or nervous Piano Musics played. We also trained our lab w/ soft music. The only time I heard Jewel meow that sounded more like howling was in her later years. She was getting up there and lost @ night in the house and needed to see and hear her mamma's voice. She also had underlying kidney issues which is symptom. Give the noise a try and see if that helps. I hear ya on the sleep. No sleep and I am just not a helpful/healthy contributor for that day-